Evaluation criteria for assessing human factors in Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs)

This piece of work explores the use of Collaborative Learning concepts developed within a Skills vs. Knowledge approach as the ground of an evaluation methodology for assessing Human Factors in the use of synchronous and asynchronous communication mechanisms in VLEs

Into the Image World: Creating Global Communities of Practice

This presentation reflects on the experiences of a wholly online MA Photography, from both staff and student perspectives. It will practically outline the challenges and successes in creating and maintaining this global community of practice from both pedagogic and technological perspectives. Sontag describes photographs as ‘packaging the world’, of making it smaller (1977:4), whilst Manovich (2017) comments on its global nature and reach. It is therefore ironic that formal photographic education has, so far, remained relatively dependent on fixed locations and face-to-face delivery models as opposed to the adaptive, flexible and inclusive model that the online environment can encourage

Editorial: Special issue on “Learning Design and Education for Sustainable Development Bootcamp"

In this special issue, we are proud to present a curated collection of innovative learning designs, manifested as case studies from diverse academic disciplines. These case studies have been developed by the collaborative efforts of participants in the inaugural Learning Design and ESD Bootcamp of 2022 (ALDESD, 2022). The purpose of this compilation is to extend the reach of these exemplary models, promoting their broader application and facilitating their dissemination across educational landscapes. In this editorial, we provide a comprehensive overview of the special issue, setting the stage for the insightful explorations and discussions that these case studies invite. Through this special issue, we aim not only to showcase the creative and practical outcomes of the Learning Design and ESD Bootcamp and CoDesignS ESD Framework (CoDesignS ESD, 2021; Toro-Troconis et al, 2023; Ahmad et al, 2023) but also to inspire educators and institutions to integrate these practices into their own curricula, thereby advancing the pedagogy of sustainability in learning environments worldwide. We aspire that the foundational article delineating the Bootcamp's methodology, along with the ten illustrative case studies, will catalyse a proliferation of innovative ideas for broad-scale adoption and application, fostering a robust network within the educational community. Recognising the diverse linguistic backgrounds of the Bootcamp's participants, we have ensured that each abstract and its pertinent keywords are available in both Spanish and English, thereby extending the accessibility and impact of these learning designs across various regions.</jats:p

Assessing Student Engagement in Online Programmes: Using Learning Design and Learning Analytics

This paper presents the learning design framework used in the design of the Online MA in Photography at Falmouth University. It discusses the importance of evaluating the success of online learning programmes by analysing learning analytics and student feedback within the overall pedagogic context and design of the programme. Linear regression analysis was used to analyse the engagement of three cohorts of students that completed four modules of the Online MA Photography (n=33) with over 80,000 entries in the dataset. The research explored student engagement with online content that promoted low-order cognitive skills (i.e. watching videos, reading materials and listening to podcasts) as well as high-order cognitive skills (i.e. participating in online forums and webinars). The results suggest there is weak evidence of an association between average overall mark in all modules and the level of engagement with self-directed content (P = 0.0187). There is also weak evidence of an association between average overall mark in all modules and the level of engagement in collaborative activities (P < 0.0528). Three major themes emerged from the focus group 1) weekly forums and webinars, 2) self-directed learning materials and 3) learning design and support. Online learning was acceptable and convenient to postgraduate students. These findings are discussed further in the paper as potential predictors of student performance in online programmes

Learning design and Education for Sustainable Development Bootcamp: Background, framework and toolkit

This paper introduces the 2022 Learning Design and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Bootcamp, a collaborative initiative led by ALDESD and UNESCO IESALC. This eight-week programme targeted academics, teachers, learning designers, educational developers, and students, aiming to integrate ESD principles into their curricula. The Bootcamp used the CoDesignS ESD Framework and Toolkit to provide comprehensive guidance embedding ESD in curriculum design. The paper elaborately presents the elements of the CoDesignS Framework and Toolkit and describes the Bootcamp experience of the twenty-one participating teams, detailing how the Bootcamp was conducted in both English and Spanish.</jats:p

Design, development and implementation of a mobile learning strategy for undergraduate medical education

This paper describes the process of introducing a mobile learning strategy into a medical school by issuing iPads to clinical students. Data was collected from focus groups, surveys and by engaging a number of student “iPad champions”. Students had a positive attitude and experience with the iPads for learning and highlighted some areas for improvement particularly for electronic sign-off. Introduction of mobile technology into medical education is proving to be popular with medical students. Early adoption of mobile technology brings medical students closer to the digital healthcare environment which is rapidly adopting the use of electronic health records, electronic xray and laboratory order and online evidence-based practice tools to support patient care

Using virtual worlds for role play simulation in child psychiatry: an evaluation study

Aims and method: To develop and evaluate a novel teaching session on clinical assessment using role play simulation. Teaching and research sessions occurred sequentially in computer laboratories. Ten medical students were divided into two online small-group teaching sessions. Students role-played as clinician avatars and the teacher played a suicidal adolescent avatar. Questionnaire and focus-group methodology evaluated participants’ attitudes to the learning experience. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS, qualitative data through nominal-group and thematic analyses. Results: Participants reported improvements in psychiatric skills/knowledge, expressing less anxiety and more enjoyment than role-playing face to face. Simulator fidelity correlated positively with utility. Some participants expressed concern about added value over other learning methods and non-verbal communication. Clinical implications: The study shows that virtual worlds can successfully host role play simulation, valued by students as a useful learning method. The potential for distance learning would allow delivery irrespective of geographical distance and boundaries

Game-based learning for virtual patients in Second Life®

In the field of medicine, various representative simulations have been developed to support the decreasing number of learning opportunities with real patients; the use of virtual patients is among them. Virtual patients are real-life clinical scenarios used for the purpose of medical education. They usually follow a linear or branching approach and they are usually accessed via a computer browser or as part of a computer programme. The purpose of this thesis was to design, and develop a platform for the delivery of virtual patients following a game-based approach in the virtual world of Second Life®, investigating attitudes and gender differences among medical students at Imperial College London. Virtual worlds, such as Second Life®, are 3D spaces in which users meet and interact and in which learning opportunities can take place. Second Life® was selected for this study due to its popularity among UK Higher Education Institutions at the time of the development. The virtual patients’ activities were designed following game-based learning and pedagogic principles. The technical infrastructure was designed following a Component-Based System (CBS) structure as a distributed three tier architecture presenting information via a Heads-Up-Display (HUD). The first study carried out concentrated on the survey “My feelings when playing games” developed by Bonnano and Kommers (2008). The survey was comprised of 21 statements. Six statements related to the affective component, five statements are about perceived usefulness, six statements about perceived control and four statements about behavioral components. Two groups were involved, one accessing a virtual patient via Second Life® and the other via an e-module. This study involved 42 Year 3 undergraduate medical students (21 years old). The gender distribution of the respondents was 42.85% female (n = 18) and 57.14% male (n = 24). The tendency encountered in each group towards the different attitudinal components was analysed as well as gender-related attitudes. Both groups showed very similar results in relation to the Attitudinal Components. In general, females demonstrated a more positive attitude overall for the perceived usefulness component. Other studies looked at and contrasted, provided interesting thoughts and reflections on gender tendencies and game play. It was concluded that more inclusive and holistic studies in this area ought to be carried out in order to identify game play tendencies in professional-level simulation with adults at university level, which may counteract outdated perceptions about age and gender differences in game play. The second study described the use of the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to assess students’ attitudes again. Two groups of undergraduate medical students (Yr 3, n=14) were invited to participate. The research question posed was: “In your opinion what are the advantages and disadvantages of learning in Second Life® compared with other methods?” The results provide a different perspective to the ones highlighted in the first study. Results from the first group focused on the learning experience highlighting its importance for clinical diagnosis as a structure for learning. The second group focused on the clinical exposure although they were ambivalent about the advantages of this type of delivery mode. In general, learners did not find the virtual patient activities challenging enough. The results of this thesis show that although a game-based learning approach was followed in the design of the virtual patient activities and interfaces, the repetitive linear presentation of the cases did not motivate the students enough, targeting only low-end Cognitive skills which may be more suitable for students in Year 1 and 2. The use of more challenging branching learning experiences, such as the ones developed by the PIVOTE authoring system are suggested for the delivery of virtual patients in clinical years. All the programming code used in the CBS has been released as open source, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 3.0 License, in order to stimulate other interested parties in the development of similar applications in the virtual world of Second Life®.Godkänd; 2011; 20111110 (andbra); DISPUTATION Ämnesområde: Genus och teknik/Gender and Technology Opponent: Professor Jan Gulliksen, School of Computer Scicence and Communication, Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, Stockholm Ordförande: Professor Ulf Mellström, Centrum för genusforskning, Karlstads universitet/ Luleå tekniska universitet. Tid: Fredag den 16 december 2011, kl 13.00 Plats: F531, Luleå tekniska universitet</p